New York University Book O Pioneers Gender Roles Essay

Length: 3-5 pgs

Required: textual citations (e.g. some quotes) from at least one short story and the novel; bibliography of works cited

First option:

Write an essay discussing how Cather illustrates the city/country dichotomy in O Pioneers! and at least one short story from this unit. What are some common assumptions people had (and still have) about the city? About the country? Does Cather reinforce these assumptions, or does she complicate them?

“In this paper, I will argue that while most people think X about Y, we should actually think in terms of ___”

Second option:

Write an essay discussing gender roles/assumptions in O Pioneers! and at least one short story from this unit. What are some common assumptions people had (and still have) about masculinity and femininity? Does Cather reinforce these assumptions, or does she complicate them?

Third option:

In many ways, Hawthorne takes for granted the setting of his stories and novels, simply telling us where we are and expecting us to make inferences about what things look or feel like there. Cather contrasts with this model, and some critics have proposed that for her, the land itself has enough personality to be a character. How does Cather make the land into a character? Absolutely use O Pioneers!, but you should also think about her stories, as well.

I have upload a notes from the class for part 1 and 2. I have one of the pdf version of the short stories but it says the file is too big